Handling, Restraints and Physical Exam

www.ThrivingCanine.com Proper physical handling is one of the most important, misunderstood and overlooked aspects of dog training there is. Done correctly these handling exercises build trust, create calmness and provide safety should the need to restrain your dog ever come up.

The controversy regarding the use of "force" in dog training has some validity but, due to extremists on both sides, it has caused a lot of hesitancy over whether or not to use basic handling skills with dogs. However, if we look beyond sound bites and click bait, nobody with any legitimate credentials is actually arguing that you should never handle dogs physically. In fact, most will concur that it is vital to condition our dogs to trust and enjoy physical handling by humans.

Do we expect veterinarians and groomers to service our dogs without physically handling them? What about canine massage therapy or chiropractic care? What if your dog gets injured and you need to care for them? Ticks and thorns and ear drops and eye drops, oh my! All of these things require physical handling and, if your dog has not been pre-conditioned to be comfortable with physical handling, these basic things can cause a lot of drama.

Check out this video for some basic handling exercises you can try at home.

ThrivingCanine.com

THRIVING CANINE offers a variety of services for eliminating your dog's unwanted behavior, improving manners and sharpening obedience skills. Thriving Canine believes in a balanced approach to dog training. By integrating positive reinforcement and traditional training methods, all-the-while focusing on the intrinsic value of the human-dog bond, you'll not only have a dog who loves to learn, you'll have a companion who responds reliably and is not touch sensitive.

THRIVING CANINE offers Puppy Socialization Classes, Basic to Advanced Obedience Classes, Agility Classes, Recall Clinics and more in Gilroy Ca. We also offer Private Lessons anywhere in the California Bay Area including Morgan Hill, San Jose, Los Gatos, Monterey, San Francisco as well as Virtual Dog Training anywhere in the world.